The domain name system (DNS) and domain name registration system have become an integral part of how consumers and businesses conduct activity on the Internet.
One advantage of DNS is that it allows a person to visit a website by typing into a browser a “domain name”, that is, a familiar word or group of words, rather than the numeric IP address of the computer on which the website resides. For example, a person desiring to visit the VeriSign website could do so by entering in their web browser the domain name “verisign.com” instead of an IP address, such as “10.10.1.100.” Although, the user could enter either the domain name or the IP address, the moniker “verisign.com” is easier to remember than a string of digits. A domain name is an example of a “provisioned object,” that is, an object that is assigned or released through a registry interface and supported by registration system standards.
The DNS system also allows multiple websites to share one IP address when multiple domain names all resolve to (that is, are associated with) the same IP address. A webserver that has been assigned a specific IP address receives, as part of the request for web content, the domain name requested and can then deliver the desired content to the requesting computer. This multiple-website feature is important because there are a finite number of IP addresses of the form 10.10.1.100, so called “IPv4 addresses.” Without this ability for multiple websites to share an IP address, the possible IPv4 address space would likely have already been exhausted.
Furthermore, the next version of IP address space, so called “IPv6,” includes an even more complicated numeric format. Whereas IPv4 is only 32 bits in binary length, IPv6 is 128 bits. A typical hexadecimal representation of an IPv6 address is 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334. Because of the increased length of IP address in this format, there are approximately 5×1028 theoretical addresses available for each one of the 6.8 billion people alive. Although IP address exhaustion will no longer be a concern under the new addressing scheme, the DNS system remains important so that people can use familiar domain names rather than long strings of hexadecimal digits to visit websites or access machines on the Internet.
The DNS system works by an interrelation of registrants, registrars, and registries. For example, registries maintain operative control over a top level domain (TLD), such as the traditional .COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU, and .GOV, as well as the newer .BIZ, .INFO, and .NAME TLDs. Registrants are the entities that “reserve” the use of a domain name in a specific TLD for a finite time. Registrars act like an intermediary between the registrants and registry. Registrars receive and process the registrants' domain name reservation requests, and provide tools and an interface to the registrant to maintain operation of its reserved names. Registries in turn receive and process requests from registrars and provide tools and an interface to the registrar to maintain operation of its customers (registrants) reserved names. The registry makes available the mechanism to reserve and update domain name registrations through the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP). Registrars that are authorized by the registry have the ability to make reservations and check the state of domain names through the EPP. The registry provides the EPP as a communications gateway to registrars for such purposes
In addition to the traditional TLDs, new generic TLDs (gTLDs) may be applied for from the regulatory body pertaining to registries and registrars, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). The domain name registration system has also evolved to incorporate various country code TLDs (ccTLDs), each one reserved for use by a particular country, such as, .CA, .CN, .TV, and .US, associated with Canada, China, Tuvalu, and the United States, respectively. The domain name system and domain name registration system have also evolved to allow the use of alternative character sets to accommodate foreign languages.
In a typical domain name registration example, a registrant may want to reserve the domain name “example.com.” The registrant would contact a registrar that has a business relationship with the registry that operates the .com TLD. The registrant would query the registrar as to the availability of the domain name “example” in the “.COM” namespace. The registrar in turn would query the proper registry through the EPP, and then return the results to the registrant. The registrant may then obtain a registration of the domain name by paying a registration fee and providing information required by the registry and registrar. The registry charges the registrar for the domain name registration and the registrar collects the registration fee from the registrant.
The registrar has a relationship with both the registrant and the registry, but the registry only has a direct relationship with the registrar. The registry can be a “thin registry,” storing no information about the registrant, or a “thick registry,” storing contact or other information about the registrant. Any information stored about the registrant is obtained through the registrar. Thus, from the registry's perspective, the owner of the domain is the registrar.
Domain names are examples of registry objects. Standardized registry objects are defined in RFCs. To safeguard the system of registry objects, the regulatory entity responsible for registry objects, ICANN, provides a set of rules for the situation where a registrar fails. ICANN has also attempted to require safety measures to be implemented by registries to account for the situation when a registry might fail. For example, registries are supposed to place its registration data into a data escrow.
A registry might fail for a number of reasons, including natural disasters or government interference, but most likely a registry would fail for insolvency. When a registry becomes insolvent, the entire namespace for that TLD becomes at risk for complete failure. This would mean that name resolution would no longer work for the entire TLD. If, for example, the .info registry failed, over 8 million domain addresses would no longer work.
One problem with having the registry system data escrow system as described is that it does not provide a true and adaptable recovery plan. It does not, for example, contemplate the recovery strategy when the escrow data is unavailable. If considered an asset, escrow data may be tied up in a bankruptcy filing. Even if escrow data were available, it is unclear who would be responsible for using the data to restore operation of the TLD. Escrow data is also just data. It does not include implementation of special non-standard TLD features. Finally, due to the nature of the public's economic and social reliance on the Internet, every second that a domain is unreachable could be quite costly for an organization. Therefore a method is needed to allow for the quick and efficient recovery of a TLD in the event a registry fails.
Another example where such a method would be desirable is when a new registry applies to ICANN to operate a new TLD, lobbies a country to operate its ccTLD, or applies to ICANN to take over operation of an existing TLD. Having an independent registry recovery service, would reduce the risk involved in selecting a registry that might otherwise be denied for consideration. Such a registry recovery service may even act as a hot-backup that can be switched to very quickly.
Another example where such a method would be desirable is when a registry is failing to meet the minimum service level agreements as outlined in its contract with ICANN for operation of a gTLD or the government of the country assigned to the ccTLD. The contract could provide for the registry recovery service to take steps to intervene if delinquency persists.